Aussie boxing kangaroos a big hit in Shanghai

For the fourth year in a row, the “Animal Olympicsâ€? were held at Shanghai’s Wild Animal Park in Shanghai, China. In the Animal Olympics the animals don’t only challenge their likeminded furry and feathered friends; no, in these Olympics the beasts also compete against man.

The event is held in a large arena packed with fans. The ceremonies are initiated by an elephant carrying the Animal Olympics’ torch, and a menagerie of contestants, including but not limited to bears, chimpanzees, goats and zebras, put their training and natural talent through a series of competitions, including but not limited to hurdles, and hoof, paw and foot races.

The Olympics also feature one of the crowd’s favorite pastimes, horse fighting.

Among the 300 “athletes� participating in the Olympics, one knockout of a creature among many caught our eye. Long and lean, built for speed rather than comfort, wearing red gloves and dressed in brown with white trim, it was a boxing kangaroo fighting out of Australia… battling a man dressed like a clown.

Described in the Daily Mail as a ‘bizarre marsupial-versus-human’ rite, animal rights campaigners have seen the photos of the 2006 Animal Olympics and are pointing fingers every which way, but especially at the Chinese, for their savagery, for their cruelty to animals, for blurring the line between abuse and entertainment, for being, well, Chinese.

Photographs of the bout show the kangaroo getting nailed by the clown. The kangaroo takes the blow and counters, knocking the clown into the ropes.

The comments on the Daily Mail website give a good indication where most citizens of the civilized world stand on the matter of men fighting kangaroos.

“Absolutely disgraceful!� said Helen from Bristol.

Mike “Spudgun� Hardy from Romney Marsh declared, “This is awful.�

“This kind of torture needs to be stopped!� insisted Rocky from Philly.

“Deplorable,� wrote Sara from Leicester, before advising, “Put this clown in a match against a hungry adult grizzly.�

A misanthrope named Anon from the UK wrote, “I hope the kangaroo won!�

The Walrus from Melbourne confessed, “I love animals.�

“I feel more sorry for the clown,� Tom from St Louis wrote. “Kangaroos are not weak animals and this guy probably took one hell of a beating! I mean look at that right cross that kangaroo threw in the second picture.�

And good old Matt from Worcester weighed in on this pressing subject when he reminded readers, “That’s why you should always tie your kangaroo down, sport.â€?